Chapter 9: Game Art and Animation

Overview

Artists and level designers create characters, environment (worlds), and our concept’s visuals. To turn our vision into a real game, as designers we need to understand the roles and talents of our 2D and 3D artists, level designers, and animators. Game designers need to understand the artist’s tools and the tools’ capabilities as well as game engines and project and asset management software for tracking and organizing the game’s artwork, audio, and programming code.

2D artists work on concept sketches, textures, skins, and background 2D artists use software like Adobe Photoshop, Jasc Paint Shop Pro, CorelDRAW, Microsoft’s Paint, and Equilibrium DeBabelizer.

3D artists create 3D worlds and models like characters, vehicles, and props. They use software like Alias|Wavefront Maya, Discreet’s 3D Studio Max, Softimage, and LightWave, as well as animation and tools like Character Studio, Poser 4.0, and predesigned 3D models.

Level designers create the environment and architecture using a level editor that can make a 2D layout into a 3D building or environments using software engines like LithTech, Quake, and Unreal.

Project and asset management software such as NXN alienbrain, PVCS Merant, Rational Software ClearCase, Starbase StarTeam, and Telelogic CM Synergy are needed to organize and make asset access easier and more convenient.